Soaring smog levels pose a mounting threat to Europe's historic and artistic treasures, experts warned Monday, and culture-rich Italy is especially at risk.
The alarm was sounded by scientists from the Bologna-based Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (ISAC) who were presenting "Caramel", a European project studying the impact urban pollution is having on historic sites.
ISAC is conducting the project with research institutes in Britain, France and Spain.
The Italian scientists said Europe's monuments are acquiring grey-black coatings of corrosive dirt ever more quickly than in the past.
ISAC's Cristina Sabbioni explained that increased traffic is the main source of the grime.
"A good example of the damage caused by traffic came from the results of studies at Seville Cathedral, which has just been cleaned up," Sabbioni said.
"The side of the cathedral exposed to traffic was covered by a black coating of very small, oily particles from traffic fumes that attach themselves to surfaces very easily and form layers very quickly".
Sabbioni said comparative studies of sites like the Milan and Florence cathedrals, the Tower of London and Paris' Saint Eustache cathedral showed that the nature of the problem is the same all over the continent.
But Italy is particularly exposed because of the sheer quantity of major artistic sites it hosts.
Italy is said to hold more than half the world's artistic treasures. It has more UNESCO World Heritage Sites than any other country (41) after overtaking Spain three years ago.
Many major sites, such as the Colosseum and other ancient Roman ruins, are situated in smog-infested downtown areas of the Italian capital and consequently suffer more damage.
Sabbioni stressed that restorations can only give the monuments temporary respites. The only long-term solution is to reduce smog and traffic levels, she said.
Separate studies carried out by the Italian Institute for Atmospheric Pollution (IIA) have shown that smog is not just a threat to the exteriors of historic buildings.
IIA surveys at a number of major European culture bastions, like Florence's Uffizi Gallery and the British Library in London, revealed that smog was also damaging works inside museums.
Rome's Central Institute for Restoration, meanwhile, said Monday that it is working with the national Environmental Protection Agency (APAT) on a 'map' of Italian treasures under threat from urban pollution.
"We are going to take the results of air-quality surveys near the monuments and calculate a vulnerability index for the most important cultural gems," explained APAT's Patrizia Bonanni.
